Simon's Cat
- Open roles
- 0
- Founded
- 2008
- Employees
- 1-10
- Offices
- 1
About Simon's Cat
Simon's Cat is a British animation studio and digital entertainment company founded in 2008 by animator, illustrator and voice artist Simon Tofield. Its work centres on a mischievous cat and his owner, using hand-drawn animation, expressive character performance and non-verbal comedy to turn familiar feline behaviour into visual stories.
The brand began in March 2008 with the YouTube release of Cat Man Do, which depicts a hungry cat's increasingly elaborate attempts to wake its sleeping owner. Tofield developed the original film while working at London animation production house Tandem Films. Its online success established the foundation for a continuing series of shorts and a wider entertainment business.
Animation and storytelling
The studio specialises in 2D digital animation, character design, storyboarding and pantomime-style storytelling. Its productions range from short online films to longer colour specials, combining observational humour with slapstick and carefully staged character action. Alongside animation, the company creates comic strips, book illustrations and designs for licensed products.
Its output spans digital shorts, web specials and educational content. The studio also works with commercial sponsors and animal welfare organisations, applying its characters and visual storytelling to branded and cause-related projects. Its largely wordless approach makes character performance central to how the stories communicate across audiences.
A wider character business
Beyond video, Simon's Cat has expanded into publishing, newspaper comics, consumer products and licensed mobile games. Publishing relationships include Canongate Books and comic strip syndication with The Daily Mirror. Mobile titles are produced through a licensing partnership with developer Tactile Games, extending the characters into puzzle and narrative game formats.
Endemol Shine UK acquired a controlling majority stake in 2015. Following Banijay's acquisition of Endemol Shine Group in 2020, the studio became a Banijay UK operating label. It continues to operate from London, producing animation and developing its character property across online entertainment, publishing, games and merchandising.
More about Simon's Cat
Founder and governance
Simon Paul Tofield remains an active statutory director and holds between 25% and 50% of the company's shares and voting rights. Tandem Films principals Daniel Greaves and Nigel Pay were initial founding directors until the 2015 acquisition.
Production methods and operating model
The reported hand-drawn digital workflow uses TVPaint, Adobe Animate and Wacom Cintiq hardware. The character comedy draws inspiration from Tofield's rescued cats Hugh, Teddy, Jess and Maisie. Production capacity scales through freelance animators and directors, with shared Banijay UK corporate services.
Crowdfunding and recognition
In August 2014, the studio raised more than £310,000 through Indiegogo for its first long-form colour special, a 13-minute production. The debut short received the British Animation Awards' Best Comedy prize.
Animal welfare collaboration
The studio's educational work with Cats Protection incorporates feline welfare expertise into an animated and live-action format.
Notable credits
11 creditsOffices
Where Simon's Cat is based
- 5th Floor, Shepherds Building Central, Charecroft Way, Shepherd's Bush, London, W14 0EE, England, United KingdomLondon, England, United Kingdom
London office
HeadquartersOverall headquarters and principal production base, co-located with Banijay UK.
Open roles
Find your next role at Simon's Cat